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TEHRAN: The leaders of Afghanistan, India and Iran signed the Chabahr port agreement in Tehran, the capital city of Iran today.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and The Iranian President Hassan Rouani signed the agreement.
The Afghan President directly travelled to Tehran today to sign the agreement after concluding a two-day official visit to Qatar.
The signing of the agreement opens an international transportation and trade corridor.
The draft agreement for Chabahar port was finalized during a meeting organized in Ministry of External Affairs of India in mid-April this year.
Afghanistan is expected to have sea-land access through the strategic Chabahar port in Iran by the end of this year as the work on the port already begun by a joint venture of Kandla Port Trust (KPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) last year.
Chabahar Port
Access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway can be made fromChabahar port using the existing Iranian road network and the Zaranj-Delaram road, constructed by India in 2009.
The port will be also used to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation costs. It will also cut transport costs and freight time for India to Central Asia and the Gulf by about a third. -KP
THE PASHTUN TIM
